Anyone who knows me knows how anal I am on maintence and keeping things in working order. The electronic air cleaners in our house have never missed a monthly cleaning in 12 years. My cars are maintence heaven, so I look upon the generator as another item to put on the list. I had planned to run it at least twice a month, put Stabil in the gas, and keep the carbs empty when not in use, and of course keep the battery charged. I spent last night memorizing the manual, but may have to read it again as after the 4th beer, it started getting confusing.